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This Week’s Fruit:
Zee Lady Peaches
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA
Renowned horticulturist Floyd Zaiger is responsible for many of our favorite varieties, and the Zee Lady is another Zaiger gem. The Zee Lady is a good sized peach that’s a real beauty, with a vibrant red blush dusted over a warm golden skin. This freestone peach is as great for baking as it is eating out of hand.
Ruby Grand Nectarines
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA
Ruby Grand is a naturally fragrant nectarine with an intense flavor. It’s firm flesh has a melting mouthful quality and it is a very versatile fruit, excellent for eating fresh, canning, freezing, and for drying.
Flavor King Pluots
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA
A dark-skinned pluot with red flesh, it has an intense rich flavor combined with sweet, spicy tones that are reminiscent of the Santa Rosa. A nice acid bite and firm texture that softens beautifully as the fruit continues to ripen, the Flavor King is amazing out of hand and equally good for baking.
…all varieties are subject to change…
A Note from Sarah
This morning Al asked if I would write the CSA note this week for him. He has been busy in the field (as he always is this time of year). He wanted me to write about the wheat we’re growing and the Flavor King pluot but I cannot! I have been so busy managing information and trying to stay on top of all the regulations for our human resources that I realize I don’t have any idea what’s going on in other areas of our farm! That’s a first for me in over 33 years!
To me, this is a telling sign that we are on the growth path. Not only are we adding acres of land to grow more amazing fruit (and yes, apparently wheat) but also we’re adding more human resources to help us get all the additional tasks done! I’ll confess, in 1984 when I started working along side Farmer Al on this land, not once did I imagine that we would have over 100 seasonal employees and 200+ acres. In 1984 we were farming 13 acres and our goal was to purchase an additional 20. Time has had a way of changing and creating an evolution but I didn’t see that coming. Did I mention we’re growing wheat? Wheat! Go figure! Ok, moving on…
As for wheat, we’ve got all the information you need in this week’s Farm Focus and I highly recommend reading it.
About our Flavor King pluots: Have you ever tried them? If you have, you will remember them and have probably been waiting anxiously for their return. It’s almost time and we have a fantastic crop! YAY!!! The Flavor King pluots are a hybrid created by Floyd Zaiger of Zaiger Genetics. Interestingly enough it has zero Santa Rosa Plum genetics, even though it resembles it in many ways. The biggest challenge we face growing this variety is finding the right pollinator. Looks like we had success this year judging by the crop we are seeing in the field. Woot woot! Other growers shy away from growing them because the Flavor Kings have what’s considered a growth “defect” in that the skin cracks. We happen to be in the “know” that cosmetic appearance isn’t the most important thing when it comes to our taste buds. It’s what lays beneath the deep red to dark purple skin… that rose` to golden flesh that exudes flavor is worth every split skin!
